PDX Nails in Portland, Oregon (KPTV/YouTube).
An Oregon nail salon has been accused of giving a customer herpes during a manicure — again.
PDX Nails, located at 11946 NE Glisan St. in Portland, is being sued for $2.5 million by a 31-year-old woman in Multnomah County Circuit Court after she allegedly contracted the viral infection during an acrylic nail treatment in August 2025. It marks the second time since 2024 that a herpes lawsuit has been filed against the Glisan Street location.
The newest complaint, filed Monday and obtained by local CBS affiliate KOIN, alleges that the woman began feeling an "unusual burning and stinging sensation along the lateral side of her right hand and pinky finger" the day after her manicure and became "itchy."
"A fluid-filled blister began to form," the complaint says.
The woman allegedly sought treatment at her primary care clinic on Aug. 12, eleven days after she got her manicure. The technician who gave her the nail treatment did not wear any gloves, according to the complaint.
Clinic workers allegedly traced the blister to the genital herpes virus.
Attorney Amity Girt, who represents the plaintiff, filed a similar complaint against PDX Nails in 2024 after a 23-year-old woman allegedly got herpes at the Glisan Street PDX Nails in 2023. The lawsuit, which was settled in May 2025, was seeking $1.75 million in damages. Girt alleged that the nail technician did not wear gloves and stored drill bits in an Altoids tin.
The woman allegedly began to feel ill and had swelling around two fingers immediately after the manicure. Blisters began forming around her fingers and a test later came back positive for genital herpes, according to the complaint obtained by Law&Crime.
Neither woman had herpes before going to the salon, according to the lawsuits.
"The infection was painful, and the diagnosis caused S.R. a great deal of distress," the 2024 lawsuit stated. "She was told the infection could continue to come back, and that there is no cure for herpes."
PDX Nails reportedly violated state standards in the past for not properly disinfecting tools and was fined.
Salon owners Tam and Hai Nguyen have been accused of negligence for failing to properly train their technicians and adhere to safety and sanitation protocols.
The impact on the women has been permanent, the complaints say.
"There is no cure," the 23-year-old woman's complaint stated. "She must, for life, monitor outbreaks for the safety of others, including any partners or future children. The outbreaks, which have continued to occur, require bandaging to prevent spread, are unsightly and painful, and take weeks to fully clear up."
The woman told The Oregonian newspaper that she's been getting manicures since she was 8 or 9 years old. She says questions about her bandages leave her embarrassed.
"People have asked, 'What happened to your finger?" she said. "I don't want to tell them what it really is because it's really embarrassing."
The Oregonian reports that, while rare, herpes can be transferred during a manicure. A Colorado woman won $3.1 million when she contracted herpes during a manicure.
PDX Nails has not responded to requests for comment.
David Harris contributed to this reporting.
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